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CNN Live Today

Fed Airport Screeners on Job

Aired August 27, 2002 - 12:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The price of airport screening went up, when the federal government took over, and a government report finds that some private screening companies raised rates, charging the government more than they charged the airports. One company nearly doubled its rates.
Private companies are still handling baggage and passenger screening at many airports, until federal screeners are phased in. That happens today at the Pittsburgh International Airport, where the first federal workers will take over screening duties.

Federal workers are already on the job at New York's LaGuardia Airport, as Julian Philips of WPIX reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIAN PHILIPS, CNN AFFILIATE WPIX REPORTER (voice-over): On LaGuardia Airport's Terminal C, there are 120 new screeners in town, supposedly smarter, better trained, and instead of private employees, they are all members of the Federal Transportation Security Administration.

ALLAN HOEHL, LAGUARDIA FEDERAL SECURITY DIRECTOR: Hopefully, they'll be restoring confidence to the public. There are some indications of that already today. Some of the people who have come through the line have expressed to me how thorough the screening was, and how polite the people were when they were doing it.

PHILIPS: Most of the screeners are either ex-cops or former military personnel.

Andre LeGall is a retired detective who lost a buddy inside the World Trade Center.

ANDRE LEGALL, PASSENGER SCREENER: With this training, these airports will be safe, not you know, maybe, will be.

PHILIPS: How heavy is security here? Well, the screeners, themselves, must be screened when they check in for work. A criminal background check is just the first step before hours of training to become a federal screener.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The training was not easy. It was hard. It was extensive. The hours were -- they made you work, and they made you listen. And not only did they make you work, you wanted to listen and you wanted to learn. That's the difference. PHILIPS (on camera): Well, right now, as you can see, there is no wait in line. But officials promise during the peak of airline travel, it should only take about 10 minutes to get through this entire screening process.

(voice-over): Even a wait did not seem to bother passengers here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that I'd rather have to come earlier and go through all of this, than worry about sitting on a plane that might blow up.

PHILIPS: The deadline for federal screeners to take over all of the nation's airports is November 19. LaGuardia expects to increase their ranks by more than 600.

Federal screeners have been deployed to eight other airports around the country. Baggage screeners are expected to be in place around the country by the end of the year.

Another step to make the airports safe, last week, Governor Pataki reviewed state-of-the-art fingerprint scanning equipment to enhance airport access control. After testing and approval, the Port Authority says these biometric systems will be installed at area airports.

I am Julian Philips with the WB11 News at 10:00.

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